First time TTC - help please!! Any one else TTC for their first time?

[BeeR2009]

Hi everyone,

Me and my husband have made the decision to try for a baby - we had a talk last month after I thought I might be pregnant (we weren't actively trying) and after 12 years together feel that now is the right time.

I'm feeling really excited and a little nervous - I know it may take a while and I just want to be as prepared as possible and be doing as many of the right things as I can.

What do people recommend for trying to get pregnant? Is anyone else in the same boat and would like to keep in touch/progress?

I'm due to finish AF in around 2 days and due to ovulate around 28th according to my tracker app - I've got folic acid and vitamin D arriving tomorrow that I can start taking, what else can I be doing to prepare as much as possible? I know it sounds silly, but do we just start 'trying' as soon as my period is over?

Look forward to speaking to you all soon!

Thanks,

Bee x

Thanks :) I had water CM on Friday and EWCM on Saturday and we DTD both days, before that we were just going for every other day. I feel even more confused this afternoon though as no EWCM at all today, so I basically only had it for one day and no positive on OPKs yet. I'm worrying thinking we should be DTD today too to up our chances, but I don't even know if ovulation is imminent now and feel really tired today so not sure I can work up the energy ha. I feel a bit deflated as was so excited yesterday as seeing EWCM and now today I have none and I feel like maybe I got excited for no reason.

Sorry to hear about your negative test. I can imagine it's so hard not to give in to it. TBH I'm even trying right now to wait a few more hours to do a second OPK today as I know I'll be disappointed if it's still negative but dying to check. You're not out of the game yet remember, hold out until day AF is due and you never know :) x

@Rocky89 message above for you, couldn't tag you before x

@Rocky89 meant watery CM, apparently that's fertile too but who knows.

@mintgreenlife someone said earlier^^ (sorry can't remember who!) About percentage wise, there's not much difference between everyday or every other day, and actually it's important for it not to be robotic! Watery cm is still fertile, just not "thee most" fertile, keep your chin up!

Thanks, yeah I know, I don't know why I did it lol, I guess you read about people who get positives really early and then that voice says "you never know" but heyho.
Trying to boost myself, I'm 12dpo, I had cramps on 7-8dpo that then went, came back at 10dpo and have gone again since, I'm not due AF for another 4 days, my cm hasn't dried up, it's actually increased, I though AF came early this morning but it was just really watery cm (sorry tmi), internet is a fat lot of use as there is conflicting information everywhere! Sigh
Heads up ladies in your first cycle, the tww is not fun at all!!

@Rocky89 you did well to wait until 12 dpo!

@Rocky89 yeah you're totally right. I won't stress myself out and will skip DTD today and pick up again tomorrow 😆 I caved on my OPK and went and did it minutes after my last message to you 🤦🏻‍♀️ Still negative and not getting any darker at all. I think I feel frustrated as I've put so much time into learning about everything this month that I thought for sure I would be able to work out when I was going to ovulate, but this whole one day of EWCM and no surge has totally confused me.

I can totally understand that thought process. Just hold on a little longer and then you can test again and know for sure ☺️ I'm so not looking forward to the TWW, that's if I can even figure out when I ovulate!

Thanks @Daffodil21!!

@mintgreenlife why don't you get a cheap thermometer? Easier to track and more reliable, although downside is it tells you when you have ovulated rather than giving you a heads up. I know mine was on cd11-12 as I had a temperature spike, cramps for a few hours and a positive opk...I didn't have ewcm, mine was just watery, so you never know!

Temp charting seems to be more reliable (according to several sources), which is what I'm trying to focus on now with my temp as to whether AF will come thirs or whether it will stay up...I do question on mine whether the secons temp spike was also implantation or whether I'm just reading too much into things!

My original plan was to temp too but I decided to just give OPKs a go and track CM, but maybe I will include temping too. So with your chart is it the drop in temperature that indicates when you ovulated? I'll read up more on it and work it out :) I guess the only explanation for my situation could be that I'll ovulate in the next few days, and that I just got watery CM and EWCM for a day each a few days in advance. I think that can happen and is fairly normal. Will just keep DTD every other day for now and pray OPKs show a surge or at least a higher level of LH than I'm currently getting in the next few days. Might test morning, afternoon and evening for a few days. Going to get through so many OPKs ha

@Rocky89 message above x

@Rocky89 taken the plunge and ordered a BBT thermometer, it's arriving tomorrow so I'll get started with that from Tuesday morn :)

Hey everyone great to read everyone's post and no I'm not in this alone this will be our 2nd month TTC and I was just wondering do people find it better to have sex everyday or every other day I've read so many different opinions online and not sure witch is best! xx

@K2020 hi! You might have seen that I thought every other day was best from what I heard but then the article that is the link below says everyday so I'm going to try that. I came off the pill at the end of March this year. Xxx

@MintGreenLife so ovulation is when you have a sudden drop in temperature that then rises back the next day (the very first big spike is an anomaly so ignore that one, the O spike is the one on 12/05). When the temp has shot up it will then stay up until the end of your cycle when it will drop all the way down again for your period to start. Have a read up about basal body temperature, all websites are pretty consistent about it (aside fr implantation dips, there's not definitive about that), and helps with tracking, o only started temp charting straight away as I thought well if we don't conceive in the first few months and I haven't got anything to then help it will then be another few months learning my cycle, so I thought if I start straight away then atleast if we haven't got anywhere I can see if there are differences in each cycle. So it's helped with the ovulation part, and it's said if your temperature stays up 16+ days after O then is very likely you're preggo,

Websites will tell you that you need a bbt thermometer that measures 00.00, as a normal thermometer will only measure 00.0, but I've found mine still shows dips and spikes clearly using a regular £5 one!
Have a Google and get ready to get going Tuesday! Only annoying thing is you've got to remember to do it as soon as you wake up before talking, sitting up, having a drink etc x

On CD19 now and the struggle is real!

Now we know that nothing is TMI here right!? I'm finding this first month TTC has taken a lot of romance out of DTD. I think because it's now with an aim haha??

The OH wanted to use lube but just a standard durex one that's been hidden in a drawer for a while! Im sure I read that certain lubes can kill sperm/make it harder to conceive or have I made that up? Sorry if it was an earlier discussion here!

@LennyAndToots yes you're right, there is a particular brand I think that is fertility friendly for when you're TTC, usual ones you're not supposed to use according to the websites I've read!

@LennyAndToots I have read that too so won't be using it. I have just ordered one that is supposed to help with the sperm going in further. I have in my head to try and keep the romance alive even though we both know there's another purpose for dtd so much now! Xxx

Thank you @Peach1204 and @Rocky89 . Yeah I need to definitely instil the romance back in. I think tbh we have been lazy and going to bed late so I'm like right DTD and then sleep, so I do need to make more effort! Now FW is well and truly over, I can focus on us a bit more rather then TTC.

@LennyAndToots preseed is meant to be one of the best sperm friendly lubes ☺️

@LennyAndToots you can get one called my Viv from Ann summers and it's fertility friendly 🙂

Thank you for all the recommendations!

@LennyAndToots I've used conceive plus as a lube and Tesco fertility gel (not at the same time) I didn't realise the fertility gel wasn't lube, you put it in max 15 mins before you have sex, but both of us liked both (I actually preferred the Tesco stuff?!) will be trying the branded pre-seed next month though, I just didn't ha d time to wait for delivery this time! I imagine we'll go back to the Tesco one though as we both really liked it, and def made dtd every day through FW much easier and more enjoyable!

@Rocky89 thanks so much for the explanation, that's really helpful :) I was speaking to someone on another thread yesterday who said they had the same as me - EWCM and no positive on OPKs, but that she did get her positive 5 days later, so for now I'm going to assume this is my fertile window and hope I get my positive OPK in the next few days. I've ordered a fertility thermometer off Amazon that had good reviews, so hopefully that'll do the job. Best start doing some research on tracking temp today then! x

I've been doing some thinking about the vitamin supplements after our conversation upthread about taking too many pills. I've also heard that pregnecare can delay ovulation, so keep an eye on that (I don't think it does for me, but have heard of this before). Anyway, been wondering about changing my diet to include all the recommended vitamins naturally (have not done enough research on this yet!). I have just came across this page on folic acid content in foods and was surprised at how much is in beans etc so thought I would post if anyone else is interested:

cchealth.org/folic-acid/list.php

Sorry to post again! I had better go and do something else to keep my brain occupied!

@Daffodil21 I'm meant to be working and I'm awful for refreshing the mums net conception thread every half hour or so and telling myself I'm giving myself a 5 min 'break' ha. It's so addictive isn't it, especially if you're feeling uncertain about something! x

Can I ask you ladies about other ovulation symptoms: the past 2months I've been having quite sore nipples, to the point where the water from the shower actually hurts. Usually occurs in the few days after ovulation. I've read many articles about breast tenderness but nothing really much about just the nipples. Have any of you experienced this before? Sorry if tmi but interested in other people's experiences, thanks!!